The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-02-16
Temperance.
Household Remedies.

versally accepted as truth that is more
deadly in its tendency than the belief
that brandy, whiskey, rum, gin and al
coholic stimulants generally are neces-
sary as domestic remedies. If you
value your children's best interests,
never use wine or any of these bever-
ages upon your table. Never use them
for the ordinary ailments occurring in
every household, for it is not neces-
sary. BY alcoholic stimulants | mean
everything which has alcohol in it,
however disguised in name or charac-
ter. Fruits and their juices, so valu-
able when fresh, are as unfit to use
during fermentation as fermenting
food. The juice of apples fermented
becomes a cider, and then takes its place
in the same class as wine, brandy, whis-
key, rum and gin. These, with ale, beer
and the punches-egg-nog and mint
iuleps-should be kept out of the list of
our home remedies.
The plea that stimulants make those
who use them " feel better" and grow
fat is full of deception. The fat and
blood of those who use these articles is
never heathful. In most guarded,
moderate drinkers physicians never
expect the same favorable recovery
from sickness or injury as in one who
is extremely temperate. In post norton
examinations and dissectng-rooms we
see constantly the character of this fat,
or. rather, bloat, which is so deceptive
to the careless observer. | have seen
the fat of a woman in high life, who
had, for few years previous to her
death, except up" upon her regular
potion of the best brandy, show the
same foul degeneration as the fat of
the common drunkard. This most I'M
desirable accumulation of adipose piles
up about the liver, kidneys, bowels and
heart, penetrates the intestines, be-
tween the muscles, burdening and i'm
peding the natural action of the organs,
until it requires a goad of some kind to
keep them moving. The more of such
| flesh any one accumulates the weaker
he will become; it is no more a reason
| for satisfaction than the pail of soap
hand. Alcohol does not furnish nutri-
ment to the body or give real strength
during the alcoholic fever there is an
appearance of strength which is wholly
deceptive. 1t makes fire so intense
that the whole system is reused to fever
heat and the brain to active congestion
| by it. 1t is this forceful driving of the
brain and circulatory system while the
alcohol fever is on that gives the false
strength, and when TIE fierce fire sub.
sides leaves its subject so weak and
exhausted; for here, as everywhere, ac.
ton and reaction are equal; unnatural
excitements are followed by undue de-
preston.
A mischievous error, now misleading
many of our overwOrked men and
women, and shared, | am sorry to say
by many of our trusted physicians in
good standing, is that this class OF
stimulants, from the purest brandy tC
the ale and beer in common use, are
valuable aids in securing sleep and are
comparatively harmless. 1t is true thai
spirituous liquors, both in their mod
crate and excessive use, do, after {
period of excitement, in most case:
produce sleep; but the rest thus OBJ
tanned is widely different from thu
simple, quiet sleep of health; in natura
sleep the blood vessels of the brair
contract and carry a less volume o.
blood than when in an active state
much as the healthful stomach con
tracts upon itself, emptying its large
vessels partially during its period of rest
Under alcoholic stimulants the ar
teries and veins, even to the smalles
brain capilaries, become overfilled ant
distended with blood; for this reason
the sleep thus secured is a sleep lik,
the heavy sleep in apopleXy. TIT
walls of the capillaries under such re
peated distension become more dilate'
and dilatable, until the unnatural EN-
gorgement is fixed and permanent ant
the tissues are thickened, so that thu
power to contract is lost by the nat
urally elastic vessels. When sucl
changes have taken place in the brazil
the nervous system acts feebly, unles
it is goaded by that fierce alcoholic fir
which can make every passion demonia
and uncomfortable, until the frenzy
stiled in lethargic sleep. Every perio
of rest thus gained is at the expense o
future recuperative power.
1t requires three or four times a
much medicine to secure the sam
good results in a patient who ha
made moderate habitual use of wine o
other liquors as it does in the pei
fectly temperate individual of tn
same age and general vitality.
Mothers, let me make to you an eal
nest appeal: The home made wine
the sweetened brandy and water, har
i cider or nice gin-sling taken hot, for
I cold, the tempting egg-nog or mir
juleps, or fine old Jamaica rum an
molasses are dangerous remedies
Mixed by your hand, and given to you
son or daughter when they are chill.
a little run down or exhausted an
must keep up, or to relieve
severe attack of pain, collie, ind
gestion or neuralgia, the moral an
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